This lawyer-reviewed guide separates the questions that are too often collapsed into one calculator result: entitlement, reliable income, the applicable SSAG formula, duration, exceptions and what could trigger review or variation.
Use the worksheets to organize your facts, run the spousal support calculator for a preliminary range, or learn how our Calgary spousal support lawyers approach complex claims.
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I had an outstanding experience working with my lawyer Brandi Aymont. With the assistance of her paralegal Devonna McFarlane, they prepared my cohabitation agreement. They were knowledgeable, professional, and took the time to explain everything clearly, making what could have been a stressful process feel straightforward and comfortable…
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Brandi took very good care of me all the way through the whole process. She is extremely knowledgeable in her field and made every effort to make sure my son was taken care of and we got a fair deal. I have recommended her to several friends and will continue to recommend her.
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Brandi was very thorough and professional. I felt she did everything she could for my case and was very sympathetic to my issues and very happy with the results.
"The child support calculator provided on line through this firm is awesome. We have a long standing support agreement and we use this annually to update the child support amounts based on our T4's. Thank you for providing this great tool online which allows you lawyers to focus on cases that really require your help rather than simple accounting annually for us folks long through the process."
Current legal informationReviewed through July 2026This guide provides general information, not advice about a specific matter.
These worksheets separate entitlement, income and SSAG range questions so a preliminary calculation can become a focused legal and settlement discussion.
Connects the relationship history and present circumstances to compensatory, non-compensatory and contractual support questions.
Use it when: before relying on an SSAG range or responding to a new support claim.
Download the worksheetRecords the proposed incomes, adjustments, formula assumptions and low-to-high SSAG output in one reproducible worksheet.
Use it when: before running or comparing spousal-support calculations.
Download the worksheetTurns a proposed amount into workable disclosure, review, variation and termination terms.
Use it when: when negotiating a new arrangement or reviewing an existing support clause.
Download the worksheetA form should do more than collect facts. These notes explain the hidden issue each worksheet is intended to surface, using concrete examples rather than a generic list of legal topics.
A calculator cannot decide entitlement. We organize the economic story into facts that can be tested: the family roles assumed, opportunities gained or lost, present need, agreements and the record that supports each proposition.
For example: Two spouses now earn $140,000 and $85,000 after a 12-year relationship. The income gap is visible, but the entitlement analysis changes depending on whether the lower earner reduced work for childcare, relocated for the other spouse’s career, is now self-sufficient, or signed an agreement dealing with support.
A precise range can conceal uncertain inputs. We keep salary, bonuses, corporate benefits, retained earnings, pensions and other adjustments visible beside the source document so the parties can see whether they disagree about law, evidence or arithmetic.
For example: A payor has a $120,000 salary, a $35,000 bonus and a private company that paid $18,000 of vehicle and travel costs. The useful question is not whether to enter $120,000 or $173,000 by instinct. It is which components are recurring, personal, available and supported by the records.
The next dispute is often hidden in the administration. We define what must be exchanged, when a change takes effect, which events trigger only disclosure and which permit review, variation or termination.
For example: An agreement says support will be reviewed when the recipient finishes retraining. Three years later, the program has changed and neither party knows whether review means a fresh entitlement decision or only a new income calculation. A clear trigger and scope would have prevented that ambiguity.
Before calculating, write a short chronology of the relationship: cohabitation and marriage dates, separation, children, household roles, relocations, education or career decisions, periods out of the workforce, illness, disability, financial dependence and the present circumstances of each person.
Then identify the proposed basis for support. A compensatory claim may focus on economic loss or benefit connected to family roles. A non-compensatory claim may focus on need and the economic interdependence created by the relationship. A contractual claim may arise from an agreement. An income gap alone does not complete this step.
Gather complete tax returns, notices of assessment, current pay information and records for any business, trust, bonus, commission, dividend, benefit, pension or unusual income. State which income each person proposes and identify every adjustment separately.
If a private company is involved, distinguish salary and dividends, personal benefits, shareholder loans, retained earnings, legitimate business needs and the possibility of income available under the applicable law. Corporate value for property division and corporate income available for support are related questions, but not interchangeable numbers.
The Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines are advisory, not legislation. Once entitlement is established, they generate ranges for amount and duration. The with-child-support and without-child-support formulas work differently because child support has priority and the formulas account for family income differently.
Record the low, midpoint and high monthly amounts, duration range, formula used and all assumptions. If the output says “indefinite,” read that as duration not specified—not a guarantee that the same amount is permanent. Review, variation, retirement, income change and self-sufficiency may still matter.
Hypothetical only: spouses aged 40 and 38 earn $100,000 and $50,000, were together for ten years, have no dependent children and have established entitlement. Our calculator currently estimates $625 to $833 monthly, with a midpoint near $729, for a duration of roughly five to ten years.
Now stress-test the inputs. Would the range change if $30,000 of the higher income were a one-time bonus? Was one spouse out of the workforce to care for children? Is there compensatory loss not captured by current need? Does property division change liquidity but not earning capacity? A useful calculation exposes the next legal question.
Relationship length and age can materially affect duration under the without-child-support formula. The revised user’s guide also identifies recognized exceptions and situations where the formula range needs individual adjustment. These are not automatic escape clauses; each depends on evidence and the objectives of support.
A proposal may restructure amount and duration—for example, a different monthly amount over a different period—without changing the overall logic. Lump-sum support adds tax, present-value, security and finality questions. Record why a proposed result departs from the ordinary range rather than negotiating from an unexplained number.
List the events the arrangement should address: annual income disclosure, retirement, disability, completion of retraining, sale of a business, a child becoming independent, remarriage or another defined change. Decide whether each event ends support, triggers a review, permits variation or simply requires new disclosure.
A good clause also states the effective date of adjustments, how overpayments or arrears will be handled, what documents must be exchanged and how disputes move from negotiation to mediation, arbitration or court. “Review later” is not an implementation plan.
Bring the chronology, income worksheet, calculator range, current order or agreement and the documents supporting the proposed entitlement theory. Mark assumptions you cannot verify. Your most useful first question is often narrow: Is there a viable entitlement claim? Is the corporate income figure defensible? Does the review clause permit a new look at entitlement, or only amount?
Fraese Aymont’s support work draws on Heather Fraese’s experience with complex financial records, imputed income and the intersection between support and family property. The preparation tools below are designed to make that first legal analysis faster and more focused.
Laws, court procedures and the application of legal tests can change. Obtain advice about the facts, deadlines and documents in your matter.
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Record the income, relationship and child-support assumptions before treating the output as a working range.
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